Paranormal
Vallisca Paranormal Journalism: billnwmsu / Will Murphy
The Latin prefix para means beside or beyond. Not unlike the word supernatural, paranormal refers to any phenomenon that eludes explanation through science or conventional wisdom.
It can be a misleading term because the idea of ‘normal’ is open to debate. At what precise point, for instance, does mere intuition or insight become ESP or clairvoyance?
Funnily enough, the US courts still provide the option of placing the right hand on the Bible when taking an oath—and the Bible is a book premised on, and which invites believers to enjoy eternal rest in, a ‘paranormal’ realm called heaven.
Likewise, the more recent versions of the psychiatric diagnostic manual accept as normal those religious beliefs, which sometimes include the paranormal, that are well-established and actively practiced within a given culture.
Traditional religious persons tend to look down on the paranormal, saying that it deals with magic, evil spirits, the occult and demonic realms, while heaven is said to be a faith-based concept denoting God‘s realm.
Many who believe they have psi abilities apparently don’t report them for fear of the repercussions–i.e. they don’t want to be ridiculed, bullied, harassed, stigmatized or marginalized.
We can only wonder how many might possess genuine psi abilities yet go unrecorded by statistics, which in turn contribute to the definition of the ‘normal.’
The issues of social visibility and unreliable statistics compel us to ask whether ‘normal’ and ‘paranormal’ are relative instead of absolute categories. Just as postmoderns deconstruct the notion of “the natural,” it seems that the line between normal and paranormal could be a historically relative and situation-specific one.
At Earthpages.org:
- Science journalism faces media changes, emerging discoveries – Article by Steve Hammons that questions the cut and dried distinction between normal and paranormal, outlining the need for science to be more inclusive of so-called paranormal phenomena
» Atlantis, Clairaudience, Clairvoyance, Dreams, Empath, Guiley (Rosemary Ellen), Luke Skywalker, Randi (James), Remote Viewing, Seer, Talbot (Michael), Tarot, Watts (Alan)
Posted on February 21, 2010, in P and tagged paranormal. Bookmark the permalink. 11 Comments.
I’d add that “paranormal phenomenon”, similarily like “primitive culture” is only the way of expressing certain natural occurences from the perspective of certain civilization. Being member of describing civilization makes one realizing that its truth is just a perspective very difficult to happen but not impossible.
Thanks very much for your comment. Can you help me clarify something?
“Being member of describing civilization makes one realizing that its truth is just a perspective very difficult to happen but not impossible.”
Do you mean it is difficult but not impossible to realize that it is just a perspective? Or do you mean that the actual occurrence of miraculous events is very rare but not impossible? I think you mean the first, but I am not 100% sure…
You’ve read and understood my intention well. First meaning, which can also be true, would be my statement only without giving a second example, placed between quotation marks,be happy
This reminds me of Wittgenstein, who at one point in his life seemed to indicate that language cannot fully express what we mean to say. So, consider this hypothetical scenario: Let’s suppose that person X reads your mind with 100% accuracy. Person X then tells you exactly what you were thinking. Would you call this (a) normal (b) paranormal (c) natural (d) supernatural (e) some combination of a, b, c, and d (f) something other than a, b, c, d, and e?
I’m reading recently Alexandra David-Neal “With Mystics and Magicians in Tibet” and I must admit that she was allowed to learn a lot about Tibet as non native at her times. She describes plenty of useful conversations that were wordless points out quite precisely the partial role of mind in a whole. Therefore fact that you were raised on tests doesn’t mean that people all over the world follow the same pattern of perceiving and articulating selves non have a need to express selves such way, while achieving freedom and happiness. I know internet is quite disabled in sharing other patterns than minds, therefore one must remember about ability to bend towards the message not the pure meaning itself. Feel free to experience life without your patterns presented in my blog and I’m sure that even though as an intelligent person you won’t have problems with inventing names that do describe my writing precisely – experiencing what’s behind the meaning will remain beyond and entirely subjective.
Yes, I guess what you’re saying is that we all have a subjective interpretation. And try as we might to communicate, one person’s perceptual and interpretive ‘grid’ or ‘pattern’ will probably always differ from another’s. Still, I believe that sometimes it can be useful for these grids/patterns to try to understand one another (as different as they may be). One grid/pattern can learn from another, no? Unless one thinks one already knows it all… And to that I’d say, even the human Jesus didn’t know everything (while on Earth).
Humility. That’s the key.
I believe that a little miracle of multicultural understanding can be witnessed here. Be happy.
Telepath phenomena happens around me and could be proved repeately. For more information please visit my blog radwind.wordpress.com
Like this post of yours about paranormal… I am a paranormal expert too
http://www.thekenhudnallshow.com
This is a fascinating topic. I have only had one truly paranormal experience in my lifetime and am open minded to a variety of possibilities about our very own existence, which has yet to be fully deciphered by science nor religion.
Check out my most recent blog on the subject: http://robertocguerra27.wordpress.com/
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